A little rain didn't stop Hollywood's A-listers from bringing out their red carpet best Sunday (March 2) at the 86th Academy Awards. The highly anticipated Oscar night fashions did not disappoint. With classic Hollywood couture, bold dresses and solid color statements, it was a golden night on the red carpet.

From Lupita Nyong'o looking all sorts of perfection in pale blue Prada to Jennifer Lawrence's stunning Dior gown to Pharrell's tuxedo shorts, there were so many classic and memorable looks that it's almost impossible to pick a favorite.

MTV News, along with MTV Style editor Gabrielle Wilson and #shehashadit blogger Jarvis Derrell decided to give out our own fashion awards for the Oscars.

Blue Beauties Ladies on the red carpet seemed to be feeling a little blue, wearing all different shades of the deep-toned color, and making it one of the biggest trends of the night.

Nominees: Amy Adams, Lupita Nyong'o, Sandra Bullock Winner: Lupita Nyong'o in Prada

"Lupita wore a custom Prada dress that she actually made with the designer. The shade of blue was this really beautiful pastel sky blue that she actually called Nairobi blue. She said that it had reminded her of the shade of blue that her classrooms were painted back home in Nairobi, Kenya." Gabrielle

"She is God's gift to the red carpet this season, and she was really nailing it this year in a Nairobi blue. So stunning, nice and clean lines with a deep plunging V-neck. Just amazing. She's perfect, and she's perfect for a reason. Thank you, Kenya, for giving us Lupita. We are so grateful." Jarvis

Breaking Black Starlets were breaking all the rules on the red carpet and dared to wear black. The risk paid off, making their looks extravagant and simply classic. Nominees: Charlize Theron, Anna Kendrick, Olivia Wilde Winner: Charlize Theron in Dior

"Usually, you don't see a lot of black on the red carpet, but this year, the girls are breaking all the rules and showing us their dark side. But my favorite has to be Charlize Theron; she looks stunning in this gorgeous gown." Jarvis

"I'm not even sure how to describe Charlize Theron: It's just one of the most sort of perplexing dresses I've ever seen. From the very atypical neckline kind of darting up instead of in a sweetheart shape, to the netting and mesh around the skirt, but I loved it. She looked amazing in it." Gabrielle

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2014 Oscars Red Carpet Trends: Who Wore It Best?

Keeping it classic! Jared Leto continued to turn heads with his lucious locks on the 2014 Oscars red carpet. Instead of sporting his edgy "man bun," the Dallas Buyers Club star, 42, let his wavy hair cascade down to his shoulders.

PHOTOS: Red carpet arrivals at the 2014 Oscars

Leto lit up the red carpet in a white blazer, black pants, and deep red bowtie with a matching pocket square. With his mother Constance Leto and older brother Shannon Leto by his side, Jared looked confident and proud heading into the 86th annual Academy Awards.

PHOTOS: Jared lost how much for Dallas Buyers Club? Plus more stars who lost or gained weight for a role

The former My So-Called Life star emerged as the unexpected hair hero of the 2014 awards show season when he wore a "man-bun" to the 2014 Golden Globes. However, for the SAGs and Critics' Choice Awards, Leto styled his ombre hair into smooth waves.

PHOTOS: The most controversial Oscars snubs and shocking losses

Before the Oscars, Leto's longtime stylist, Chad Lusero, discussed the challenges of styling Leto's long hair. "It's really important that he doesn't look like a woman," he said. "It's been hard to have him not end up on the 'best hair' lists -- and that definitely hasn't been our intention. We've had all of these actresses, like Olivia Wilde and Rachel Bilson and Julia Roberts, asking about his hair. He has amazing hair, so it's kind of inevitable."

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Jared Leto Wears His Hair Down, Ditches His Man Bun at 2014 Oscars: Picture

By HARUNA UMAR and MICHELLE FAUL Associated Press

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) - Twin car bombs at a bustling city marketplace blasted buildings to rubble and tore apart bodies the same night an attack on a farming village razed every thatched-roof hut.

At least 90 people have been killed, officials and survivors reported Sunday, as Nigeria's Islamic extremists step up attacks and criticism mounts of the failure of the military and government to suppress the 4-year-old Islamic uprising in the northeast.

In Maiduguri, capital of Borno state and birthplace of the Boko Haram terrorist network, the attackers chose a densely populated area with narrow alleyways that maximized the blasts and a Saturday night when the market was open late.

The victims include children dancing at a wedding celebration and people watching a soccer match at a cinema, survivors told The Associated Press.

Fifty-one bodies were retrieved by Sunday morning but many more are believed buried in rubble, said a Red Cross official who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Some were burned beyond recognition in fires caused by the explosions.

In a village 60 kilometers (40 miles) away, suspected extremists also struck Saturday night, killing 39 people, according to cab driver Mansur Buba.

He said he returned home Sunday to find victims being buried in Mainok village, which has been attacked many times in the past year. A State Security Service agent said no huts were left standing there. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to reporters.

In Maiduguri, the headquarters of the army and air force offensive against Boko Haram, the first bomb came from a pickup truck loaded with firewood, said Hassan Ali, the leader of an anti-terror vigilante group.

Many more people were killed in the second blast, which was timed to catch people who rushed to the aid of those wounded in the first explosion, survivors said.

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Red Cross: 51 killed in car bombs in north Nigeria

A dramatic, fresh impact crater on Mars dominates this image taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Nov. 19, 2013. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

Naming landmarks on Mars isn't just for scientists and rover drivers anymore.

Starting today (Feb. 26), anybody with an Internet connection and a few dollars to spare can give a moniker to one of the Red Planet's 500,000 or so unnamed craters, as part of a mapping project run by the space-funding company Uwingu.

"This is the first people's map of Mars, where anybody can play," said Uwingu CEO Alan Stern, a former NASA science chief who also heads the space agency's New Horizons mission to Pluto. "It's a very social thing." [7 Biggest Mysteries of Mars]

Putting your stamp on Mars isn't free. Naming the smallest craters will set you back $5, with prices going up as crater size increases. Uwingu will use the money raised by the project -- which could be more than $10 million, if people name every available Martian crater -- to fund grants in space exploration, research and education, which is the company's stated chief purpose.

"We're developing this grant fund -- the Uwingu fund -- for people who've been hit by sequestration," Stern told Space.com. "There's nothing like it right now. They have no place to go; it's either NASA, NSF [the National Science Foundation] or you're out of luck."

Stern hopes the effort will succeed in naming all of Mars' cataloged craters by the end of 2014, helping to fill in a lot of gaps in Red Planet cartography. (The company aims to solicit names for other Red Planet features, such as canyons and mountains, in the future.)

The project could also provide a sort of cultural snapshot, revealing what people are thinking about and what's important to them at this moment, he added.

"It's like taking a picture of ourselves," Stern said. "What will people put? Will there be a lot of craters named for politicians? For artists, for relatives, for places on Earth? Sports teams?"

The crater-naming project is not a contest, working instead on a first-come, first-served basis. Names will be accepted immediately and will remain approved unless Uwingu officials later determine them to be profane or otherwise offensive.

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Name a Red Planet crater for $5

Years of amateur and professional TV-watching and the impressive title attached to my byline notwithstanding, I have never believed that I would last a minute as a television programmer. I know what I like, and usually why I like it, but what will float and what will sink on the great waters of commerce I admit to be beyond my ken.

Still, had anyone in charge at Sundance Channel (now calling itself SundanceTV) asked me whether the network should follow its fine "Top of the Lake," "The Returned" and "Rectify" slow, atmospheric, morally ambiguous, semi-rural stories of crime and family in which old wounds are opened and buried secrets surface with a fourth such series, I might have suggested it was time for a big-city screwball romance or something with unicorns.

Between those shows and the likes of "The Killing" and "The Bridge" and "True Detective" and "Low Winter Sun" (which I, and possibly I alone, watched to the end) elsewhere on the dial, there has been an abundance of such stuff how much moodiness can the system take?

BEST TV OF 2013Lloyd | McNamara

But consistency counts for something when you're building a brand. And "The Red Road," which begins Thursday on the network, is to judge by the first two of six episodes very good. Set in a fictional New Jersey woodland town and concerning in part an Indian tribe, the Lenape, it is the product of an impressive trust of talent.

Executive producer Sarah Condon (HBO's "Looking" and "Bored to Death," but also Nickelodeon classic "Clarissa Explains It All") sent creator Aaron Guzikowski ("Prisoners") news stories about the Lenape, community relations and toxic waste. Show runner Bridget Carpenter spent five years on "Friday Night Lights"; James Gray ("Little Odessa," "The Immigrant") directed the tone-setting first episode.

It is not as uncanny as the Sundance series it follows many of its constituent parts and players and dramatic relations are familiar ones, even the way in which some ostensibly good characters might compromise themselves and some clearly bad characters are shown to be something more than less than human. The symmetrical balance and historical connectedness of the two male leads Martin Henderson's cop, Jason Momoa's ex-con, tied by the troubled woman who is now Henderson's wife (a terrific Julianne Nicholson) feels almost too perfect at times.

PHOTOS: TV shows and their spinoffs

And yet, though many seeds are quickly sewn there is a missing college student, a literally forbidden romance, a prodigal son's return, a mother's shaky mental state it is hard, in a good way, to see where it's headed, past the more obvious personal entanglements and somewhat-beside-the-point criminal actions. It feels productively mysterious.

The show tells you covertly a lot about the characters, building them up through bits of behavior and stray remarks that can seem contradictory at first but do start to cohere into something more complex. Henderson is, it's true, called on to sweat a lot before the story gets very far at all.

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Review: 'The Red Road' heads toward mystery

As a storm approaching the Daytona International Speedway on Sunday triggered a tornado warning, track officials flashed a message to fans looking for shelter.

The American Red Cross recommends that if you seek shelter in your vehicle, fasten the seat belt and turn the motor on, the message read.

Thursday, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross said the advice was taken from their tornado safety guidelines, but not as their primary recommendation.

Reaction: Tornado warning at Daytona 500

I think it might just be taking some wording out of context, said Amber Bierfreund of the agencys Jacksonville office. Nobody was hurt.

Lenny Santiago, a Daytona International Speedway spokesman, said the speedway wasnt instructing people to seek shelter in their vehicles, but just providing information from the Red Cross. He said many fans watching Sundays race camped at the 500-acre property, which is mostly open land, and were at their campsites during the warning. For them, he said, a vehicle might have been the only shelter.

Thursday, he said the message was probably out of context.

He said the message was extracted from Red Cross guidelines and the wording constructed to be posted on screens focused on the infield.

We only had a certain amount of characters, he said.

Because many of the thousands of race fans at the track are near their vehicles, they might choose to find shelter there.

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Storm advice given to Daytona 500 fans missed the mark, agencies say

The Red Road

Set in a moody forested region of New Jersey, this new drama follows a police officer (Martin Henderson) who butts heads with an ex-con (Jason Momoa) while investigating the disappearance of a college student. The premiere feels reminiscent of Twin Peaks (minus the dancing dwarf), but the central mystery is intriguing and the unique setting makes it worth a look. Series premiere, 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, on Sundance (seattletimes.com/tvlistings).

Doug Knoop, Seattle Times staff

dknoop@seattletimes.com or on Twitter @dougknoop

Also on Thursday

Portlandia, 7 p.m. (IFC): A young woman is haunted by very smart ghosts; Doug and Claire make a big commitment to one another; Kath and Dave make the most of 15 minutes; Sandra finally finds a soul mate; Fred is visited by a Date Fact Checker.

Parks and Recreation, 8:30 p.m. (NBC): Ben tries to surprise Leslie with an anniversary gift; Tom and Andy help Leslie put a positive spin on the merger; April flexes her authority as Donnas boss.

Reign, 9 p.m. (The CW): Mary and Bash try to help when the younger children of Queen Catherine and King Henry are kidnapped by Clarissa; Francis and Lola grow closer.

The Crazy Ones, 9:31 p.m. (CBS): Simon offers to organize a bar mitzvah for a clients son, but things go south when Zach has a run-in with an ex.

Scandal, 10 p.m. (ABC): Sally Langston makes a shocking announcement; Olivia takes on a challenging new role.

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TV picks for Thursday: The Red Road, Portlandia and Parks and Recreation

by Nick Ochsner, 13News Now

WVEC.com

Posted on February 26, 2014 at 5:35 PM

Updated yesterday at 6:41 PM

VIRGINIA BEACH- Running a red light camera at intersections around Hampton Roads normally means a you'll get a fine of up to $50 in the mail.

But a 13News Now investigation has found that's not the case for all area drivers. City employees--including police officers--caught running red lights by cameras in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Newport News do not have to pay the fine for breaking the law.

Our investigation requested information for all of the red light camera violations for for the second half of 2013 from the cities of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Newport News. Those three cities had fully operational cameras during that time period.

In Virginia Beach, six city employees were caught blowing through solid red lights. Two of those employees were police officers.

In Chesapeake, cameras snapped five city employees breaking the law, including two police officers and a sheriff's deputy.

Newport News refused to provide information in response to our request without us paying hundreds of dollars.

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Police, city workers not getting fined for running red light cameras

Louis Evans was bullied for his red hair and had the nickname Rusty At 20 his acne cleared up and he gained model-worthy cheek bones He now models in Vogue and is about to take up a contract in Milan

By Martha Cliff

PUBLISHED: 11:22 EST, 26 February 2014 | UPDATED: 03:41 EST, 27 February 2014

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A redheaded man who was picked on throughout his schooldays for his bright ginger hair has beaten the bullies by creating a successful modelling career.

Louis Evans, 22, was nicknamed 'Rusty' by his classmates and taunted for his bright red hair and freckled face.

For Louis modelling had never been an obvious career option and his first job was in an office supply company as a cold caller.

Louis Evans beat his high school bullies and has built a successful modelling career

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'I got to 20 and suddenly my face was flawless': Schoolboy bullied for ginger hair now an international catwalk model ...

By ANNA JOHNSON

The Cornell equestrian team endured a pair of losses to Rochester and Alfred University this weekend.

However, after finding success earlier this season, the Red had already established a convincing lead in the charge for a regional title. Though Alfred and Rochester tied for high point, leaving Cornell reserve, the Red won seven classes and now heads to zones as regional champions.

According to freshman Gabrielle Rutkauskas, who won her class, the team had a unique approach to the contest, setting long-term goals and giving less experienced players the chance to show their skills.

The teams attitude toward the Alfred show was more laid back than it had been the whole season, Rutkauskas said. Because we were winning the regional title by so much, our coach wanted to give some of our girls who dont normally get the chance to show the opportunity to showcase their abilities.

The riders did just that, and the Red saw success on an individual level. Numerous players clinched victories to win the region and junior co-captain Georgiana de Rham was crowned winner of the Caccione Cup. The teams strength was demonstrated even further as the race for this regional award was run between three of Cornells own.

Despite her individual success, de Rham spoke most highly of the teams strong showing overall.

It was an exciting end to the season indeed, [and] exciting competition for many individuals, de Rham said. The most important thing is that the team did well. Integral to the individual success stories was the team effort the Red has been building upon all season, according to freshman Marissa Rice.

I sincerely believe that we have an amazing team this semester. It has been such a pleasure to work with Todd and with the other members of my team, said Rice, reserve high point rider who won both of her classes. Everyone is so supportive, and I think we are looking good for zones and hopefully nationals.

Considering the numerous individual victories at Alfred, The Red has reason to be confident looking ahead.

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EQUESTRIAN | Red Wins Region, Looks Forward to Riding at Zones

Karl Stefanovic - Steel Mop + Red Heads
For More Videos Visit: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wakeupwithkarlstefanovic Instagram: http://instagram.com/karlvideos Videos Uploaded Regularly This v...

By: Best Of Karl Stefanovic + Today Show

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Karl Stefanovic - Steel Mop + Red Heads - Video

Eyebrows Make Up For Red Heads Fake And Naturals )) 811

By: Eleonora Heinis

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Eyebrows Make Up For Red Heads Fake And Naturals )) 811 - Video

Lowestoft-born model Louis Evans when he was a student at Kirkley High School.

Kathryn Bradley Tuesday, February 25, 2014 12:29 PM

Former Lowestoft schoolboy Louis Evans was once teased for having red hair but now his striking looks are earning him hundreds of pounds a session as a successful fashion model.

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Since signing to London-based agency Booking Models, the 22-year-old has strutted the catwalk at London Fashion Week and appeared on BBC1s The One Show as part of the Red Hot campaign which celebrates people with red hair and raises awareness of the persecution that many of them suffer.

He also features in the Red Hot calendar which is raising funds for the anti-bullying alliance.

The 6ft 3ins model has graced the pages of the Sunday Times Style magazine and appeared in British Vogue promoting the work of the renowned English designer Christopher Raeburn.

Louis has also signed with the Italian agent Independent Men and will be jetting off to Italy in April to meet top designers, including Giorgio Armani, and photographers ahead of Milan Fashion Week in June.

However, Louis has not always received so much positive attention for his looks.

As a teenager, he suffered from acne and his high school nickname was Rusty in reference to his red hair.

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Photo gallery: Former Lowestoft schoolboy Louis Evans was once teased for having red hair but look at him now

The Parson Red Heads' 2013 album "Orb Weaver" was a pristine rock collection, tanned by California sun left over from the '70s and piloted by producer Scott McCaughey. The Portland band's next effort won't be as bright.

The group's "Early Birds Volume 2" EP was recorded in their basement on a four-track, and "Big Mistake," the song to emerge from the cassette, sounds appropriately loud and lo-fi. "This is our band just having fun re-recording and re-arranging some old tunes (songs we wrote 10 years ago, when we first started this band), channelling our love of Guided By Voices, Yo La Tengo, The Bats ... basically all things late 80's / early 90's college rock," the group wrote on SoundCloud. Look for the new set -- on cassette, the way the basement intended -- at the group's 10th anniversary show at Mississippi Studios on Feb. 27.

The Parson Red Heads, Mississippi Studios, 8 p.m. doors, 9 p.m. show. Tickets: $8 advance, $10 day of show.

-- David Greenwald

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The Parson Red Heads head to the basement on 'Big Mistake': listen

The Sochi Olympics are over and the NHL is back after freezing its schedule so that the world's best hockey players could compete for gold perhaps for the last time.

Sidney Crosby won another Olympic championship with Canada. Now, Sid the Kid wants to help the Pittsburgh Penguins hoist the Stanley Cup again.

Crosby and the Penguins host Montreal on Thursday, the third day of league games after the Olympic break, just four days after helping the Canadians beat Sweden in the gold-medal game in Russia.

"In some ways, it will help, playing at this speed in one-game elimination with desperation," Crosby said Sunday after the final competition of the Sochi Games. "I haven't really had this transition midseason with Olympic ice, going back to regular size, but I don't think it's a bad thing."

In the East, Boston holds a seven-point lead over Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division coming out of the Olympic break. Pittsburgh holds a 16-point lead over the Rangers in the Metropolitan.

It's much tighter in the West, where St. Louis and defending champion Chicago are tied atop the Central Division, just five points in front of Colorado. The Ducks have the conference's top mark and a seven-point lead on San Jose.

The NHL is going to have its fifth and sixth outdoor games of the season on Saturday, when the Chicago Blackhawks play Pittsburgh at Soldier field, and the next day in a Vancouver-Ottawa matchup at BC Place.

Despite seemingly having success with the expansion of the concept beyond an annual Winter Classic, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman isn't ready to say there will be more than one game exposed to the elements next season.

"We haven't made any decisions about how many games next year (will be outdoors), but the games this year so far have been nothing short of spectacular," Bettman said in an interview with The Associated Press during the Olympics. "The Winter Classic had over 100,000 people in Michigan, played in the snow, and at two games in Yankee Stadium and the game in Los Angeles, fans couldn't have been more engaged.

"When you think about the impact of these regular season games have had, it shows you how excited our fans get about the outdoor games."

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NHL Heads Back to the Ice After Olympic Break

Detroit The race for the playoffs begins now for the Red Wings.

And theyll be short a player, or a few.

When the Red Wings reconvene today for their first post-Olympics practice, theyll do so without their Swedish players, who will be resting after playing in the gold medal game Sunday.

More importantly, the Red Wings will be without their captain, Henrik Zetterberg, who had back surgery last week.

Zetterberg likely will miss the remainder of the regular season, but could return in the playoffs if the Red Wings are in the playoffs.

Its going to be hard, Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar said. We knew it was going to be hard even with Z here, and now its going to be harder.

As much as Zetterbergs offense will be missed, his leadership and character will be difficult to replace.

His leadership in the locker room, in my opinion, will be an important loss, assistant Bill Peters said. Its a substantial loss, lets not kid ourselves. Its your captain, your leading scorer, a point-a-game player.

But now well get our heads wrapped around it and move on and find a way to play where we can be successful as a group.

With 24 games remaining, the Red Wings have a one-point lead on the Blue Jackets, Senators and Capitals, with the Hurricanes and Devils three back.

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Loss of Henrik Zetterberg throws another hurdle in front of Red Wings

Members of the American Red Cross Boston Marathon team meet every Saturday at the Heartbreak Hill Running Club for a long run.

Each runner has a special connection to the American Red Cross, whether its volunteering at food pantries or donating blood, but theres one other thing all 60 teammates have in common they cant run a mile without thinking about the tragedies of last year.

Lisa Pacheco, who is the teams yoga teacher, holds back tears as she remembers cheering for last years American Red Cross Team.

Within seconds it went from cheering on those people to oh my gosh, how important is the Red Cross right now, she said.

This year, the team has increased its fundraising goal to $225,000, and with just two months left, theyve already raised more than $140,000.

With the Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts you realize that theres actually a mission locally, said team coach Dan Fitzgerald. People want to be involved in this marathon.

This is Fitzgeralds third year coaching.

For a lot of us it (the tragedies) reinforced the fact that we want to be back this year and give it a good go, he said looking back at his team who was stretching and preparing for their more than 10-mile run.

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Red Cross team boosts Boston Marathon fundraising goal

February 23, 2014 2:00 AM

Frank Coppola Sports editor Twitter: @FCoppolaSMG Xander Bogaerts. When the Red Sox won the World Series in 2007, they had a trio of young players Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jon Lester make big contributions to their championship run. It was an exciting glimpse into the future. Six years later, Bogaerts did the same. Bostons young infielder, ranked as the No. 2 prospect in baseball, hit .296 during the playoffs and showed poise beyond his years in helping the Red Sox win it all. He eventually supplanted Will Middlebrooks at third base, but this year will start at shortstop alongside Middlebrooks unless Stephen Drew returns. For Bogaerts, the sky is the limit. He hit over .300 in the minors the past two seasons and has 20-homer pop already at age 21. Although Middlebrooks and rookie center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. also bear watching, its Bogaerts who has the biggest upside. Hopefully the Red Sox dont lose patience with their young players given the Yankees big spending in the offseason. But hey, if they do, Magic Johnson and the Dodgers are only a phone call away.

Jay Pinsonnault Asst. sports editor Twitter: @JayPinceSMG Extensions. While one player wants a long-term deal to remain with the defending World Series champs, the team patriarch just wants to re-up for a 13th season with the Red Sox in 2015. Jon Lester, who just turned 30 last month, has said he will take a hometown discount to finish his career with the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2002 draft. David Ortiz, who batted .688 in last years World Series, is making $15M this season and wants that same number next season. This deal with Ortiz, who will be 39 in November, will be done before the team heads north. Lesters extension, if agreed upon, will probably not be announced until after the season starts due to luxury tax benefits. Lester has made at least 31 starts in each of his six full MLB seasons and has won at least 15 games in five of those years. A hometown deal for the left-hander, who has a 3-0 record with a ridiculous 0.43 ERA in three World Series starts, will be in the neighborhood of four or five years with an average annual value between $20 and $22M.

Mike Zhe Staff writer Twitter: @MikeZhe603 The Empire strikes back. If there was one thing missing for Red Sox fans during last years march to a world championship, it was that it didnt go through the Yankees, who were pretty much irrelevant. That wont be the case this year. Slugger Mark Teixeira fired the first verbal salvo this month, saying that with the additions of players like Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran, the Yankees are back to being the Yankees again. Watching the Bombers drama unfold figures to be more interesting than whats going on in Fort Myers, where the Red Sox dont have a huge number of issues as they head into their title defense. Sure, well watch to see whether Jackie Bradley Jr. or Grady Sizemore emerges as the starting center fielder, and who is anointed the leadoff hitter, a spot filled so capably by Ellsbury in years past. But beyond that, its mainly just hoping that players who enjoyed career seasons in 2013 dont suffer a drop-off. If they dont, Boston will be back in the contending mix. This year, the Yankees figure to be there, too.

Ryan OLeary Staff writer Twitter: @RyanOLearySMG The pitching and catching. One issue got resolved when Ryan Dempster, one of Bostons six legit starters, announced that hes not going to pitch this season. But shine a magnifying glass on this pitching situation as a whole and youll find a bunch of mini storylines intertwined. Whats going to happen with Lesters contract? How many innings can Buchholz give you? Can Uehara continue to be historically dominant as the closer? How much are we going to see from the young, rising stars like Workman, De La Rosa and Allen Webster? And what about the integration of new starting catcher A.J. Pierzynski? To me, thats the most intriguing of all. Pierzynski is known to be a gamer but also sort of pain in the you-know-what. I was OK with letting Saltalamacchia walk in free agency, but one thing the Red Sox had going for them last season was the way Salty and backup Cody Ross handled the staff, particularly Ross late in the World Series run. It will interesting to see how Bostons new ace behind the plate fits in.

Dan Doyon Correspondent Twitter: @DanDoyon1SMG Can the Red Sox rely on three young players as regulars in their lineup? Xander Bogaerts (shortstop), Will Middlebrooks (third base) and Jackie Bradley Jr. (center field) are all projected starters, and the Red Sox will need production from all of them. The 21-year-old Bogaerts played only 18 games during the regular season, but hit .296 during the playoffs and showed poise at the plate. Bogaerts replaced a struggling Middlebrooks at third base during the playoffs, but I think Middlebrooks claims a spot in the heart of the order. Guys with 30-homer potential are tough to find. He has 32 homers and 103 RBIs in 169 career games and should blossom given a full season. Bradley is the biggest question mark. He wont come close to duplicating the production of Jacoby Ellsbury, but the Red Sox just need him to play good defense and let him grow as a hitter. Will there be struggles with these guys during the year? Sure. But this is a nice problem to have coming off a world championship. Having young players who are ready is something the Yankees wish they had.

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What is the most interesting storyline at Boston Red Sox spring training?

Sochi, Russia It is a long way from home, but somehow it felt like we were all in Joe Louis Arena instead of the Bolshoy Ice Dome, a couple long NFL passes from the Black Sea.

A Swedish Five from the Red Wings was up against the squad from Canada coached by Mike Babcock and managed by Steve Yzerman, who got advice from Ken Holland anytime he asked for it and, who knows, maybe even a few times when he did not.

But clearly, the greatness of the most accomplished American franchise of the Original Six was on display yet again.

For if you listen to the Canadians here, and likely a good number 5,500 miles away across the rivers from Michigan in places like Windsor and Sarnia and Sault Ste. Marie, you will hear the legends nurtured in Detroit by the Red Wings came to full bloom in Russia during the mens gold medal contest.

For the first time in the Olympics in the era of NHL participation, Canada won a gold medal outside North America, defeating Sweden, 3-0. It is also the first back-to-back for Canada in 62 years, since Oslo in 1952.

And, man, they did it in Russia, where a lot of the old wars on ice have been fought by men wearing the red maple leaf.

They also are the first team to go unbeaten since the Soviet Union squad back in the CCCP days in 1984.

It is the second consecutive gold medal team put together by Yzerman with a big assist by Holland and some other Canadian hockey executives, and coached by the inestimable Babcock.

No one had done that since the old CCCP boys, in 1984 and 1988.

Across Canada, broadcasters and the ink-stained wretches who have followed this sport under microscopes since they were little boys and girls, in places like Flin Flon and Moose Jaw and Shawinigan Falls, are saying, this is likely THE GREATEST TEAM to skate for Canada in any international tournament.

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Red Wings' Mike Babcock answers critics, brings Canada back-to-back titles

Photo by Richard Reyes, PDI

CLARK FREEPORT ZONEEarly this month, American band Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) drew flak for miming to a pre-recorded track during its performance at the Super Bowl XLVIII half-time show.

But Sunday night, the iconic rock group earned nothing but roars of approval and pleas for more songs from the thousands of fans who trooped to the Global Gateway Logistics City for the two-day 7107 International Music Festival.

Opening its show with a ripping performance of Cant Stop, RHCP dished out a 90-minute set of about 17 songs. Vocalist Anthony Kiedis hippety-hopped around the stage as he performed crowd-pleasers like Californication, Snow (Hey Oh) and Soul to Squeeze, as well as more recent songs such as Look Around and The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie.

More than the hits, RHCPs set was interspersed with frenetic jamming from bassist Michael Flea Balzary, guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and drummer Chad Smith.

It was, however, the slower, more subdued hits such as Otherside and Under the Bridge that elicited rousing sing-alongs from the buzzed out crowd.

With Give It Away, the RHCP ended the second and last day of the 7107 fest, which likewise saw performances from 26 other acts. Grammy-nominated artist Kendrick Lamar had everyone bobbing their heads to his slippery smooth rapping, while Australian duo Empire of the Sun unleashed the theatrics in their reverb-heavy electronic music.

Not to be outdone, the local artistsmost of which took the stage earlier in the dayalso delivered fantastic sets. Itchyworms and Rocksteddy were wacky and playful; Up Dharma Down, sultry and impassioned; and Radioactive Sago Project, festive and bombastic, as always.

Other acts who performed in second day were the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Shes Only Sixteen, DJ Ron Poe, Luciana, Abra, Loonie, and Sponge Cola.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers sets Clark music fest on fire